German Ales 'Rauchen Holz' Smoked Weizenbock

'Rauchen Holz' Smoked Weizenbock

Batch size: 5.5 gal

O.G. – 1.080
F.G. – 1.014
ABV – 8.5%
IBUs: 25-30

Smoke your own malt (optional):
2-3 weeks before brew day, smoke 4 lbs Weyermann Wheat malt (uncrushed) in meat smoker, or whatever you can think of that'll produce and hold smoke at a lower temperature. Lay malt on aluminum screen material, and find a way to secure screen (I laid lid over the top to hold mine down). Smoke for 2 hours on smoldering wood chunks (I used hickory and applewood), spraying malt with water every 10 min or so (Smoke clings to moisture). Try to keep smoker from going anywhere over 100 degrees F. Dry out malt in oven on cooking tray for a few hours around 100 ºF, then keep sealed in plastic bag for a few weeks before crushing and using in mash. Smoked malt can hold it's smokiness for up to a year if kept fresh, or so I'm told...





Water profile.
Used tap water
1/2 campden tablet, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp CaCl added to total water volume. Adjust your water profile according to whichever profile you prefer.

Yeast
3068 Weihenstephan yeast - 2-step starter
1.) 1.25 L starter with 4.5 oz of dark DME
2.) .75 L starter with 2.7 oz dark DME and a pinch of yeast nutrient

Grain
5 lbs. Weyermann Wheat malt
6 lbs. German Munich malt
4 lbs Weyermann Wheat malt - smoked (If not smoking your own malt I'd substitute this for oak-smoked wheat, or Weyerman smoked malt)
2 lbs. Marris Otter malt
0.5 lbs. Crystal (120L)
0.5 lbs. Rice Hulls

Mash
Sacch Rest - 154 ºF for 80 min - 5.5 gal heated to 170 ºF
Batch Sparge - 168-170 ºF for 15 min - 3.75 gal heated to 180 ºF

I collected around 8.25 gal pre-boil wort. My kettle's boil-off rate is insane - like 1.75-2 gal water per hour, so adjust your water amounts accordingly.

1 oz German Perle (first wort hop). Add to kettle before collecting first runnings

Boil 90 min
1 oz Mt Hood @ 15 min
1 tsp yeast nutrient @ 15 min
1 tsp irish moss @ 15 min

Chill to around 75-80 and pitch starter. Aerate well. Hold fermentation at 64 for the first few days. 3068 puts off some heat, so I used swamp cooler with frozen 2-liters to keep temp down.

After 3-4 weeks in primary, beer is good to keg/bottle. Shoot for 3 volumes CO2.

NOTES:

* Try to leave a good amount of headspace for the ferment. I used a 6.5 gal carboy with blow-off tube for the high amount of top-cropping krausen from the 3068.

* Mash temps were based off the ambient temp of ~68 ºF in my laundry room. Grain temp was around 68 ºF as well, so adjust strike water temps according to your given surroundings.

* This beer turned out tasty, and is a great winter beer, with a definite amount of smoke (still a step down from Schlenkerla on the smokiness). But, if you're wanting hints of smoke I'd shoot for 1-2 lbs of smoked malt as opposed to the 4 that I used. Good balance of clove, malt and smoke, for me. I brought a growler of this to my local HBS/brewery and they all seemed to enjoy it. Some said a little too smokey, others liked it just the way it was. No one said it needed more smoke, though.

* If you want more banana esters from the 3068, then shoot for low 70s to ferment. I honestly don't think bananas and smoke go together, but who knows til you try it.

Enjoy, and if you have any questions on this recipe send 'em my way!